Sexual Assault Resources

A group of Psychology professors co-author comprehensive findings on the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses. Their findings best estimate that one in five (20%) females experience sexual assault during their college years; 5% of males also experience unwanted sexual contact. The authors also delve into the emotional and psychological consequences of sexual violence. They find that one-third of these individuals will experience some form of post-traumatic stress disorder because of their assailant(s), not to mention higher frequencies of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse.

Researchers in a national study evaluate the common factors involved in sexual assault on college campuses. Researchers indicate two key findings. For one, consumption of alcohol can increase the likelihood of victimization. College females who report high levels of alcohol consumption are twice as likely to be sexually victimized. Perpetrators are also more likely to commit sexual misconduct after consuming alcohol. Another key finding is that campus sexual assaults are most often perpetrated by someone known to the victim.

Not Alone: The First Report of the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault. , 2014. Internet resource.

In the first ever report of the White House task force to protect students from sexual assault, the Obama administration talks about the actions and recommendations that can be done in order to help not only the aftermath of sexual assault, but prevention of it altogether. The actions include better education on bystander intervention, better training of campus staff and faculty, and giving survivors of assault more control in confidentiality in reporting and receiving help after incidents.

This resource frames sexaul assault as an abuse of power not only on the perpetrator, but on the faculty and schools themselves. Paludi claims through her research that schools are keeping sexual assault hidden. She intends to teach these schools a strategic process for preventing and responding to complaints regarding sexual assault. Little is being done to teach the faculty how to respond to these types of instances and when these instances do arise, little is even done about them. This resource goes onto talk about the differences in race, gender, and overall student groups as being factors of sexual assault. Title IX is listed along with a detailed breakdown of sexual assault.In summary, the above sources aim to gauge to first understand the scope of sexual assault on college campuses. First, how prevalent is it? And, who is most affected? My paper will then go into the ‘why’ of sexual assault. I will examine the factors that go into the victim and perpetrator relationship, as well as the bystander phenomena. Moreover, I hope to understand what steps have been taken, and why they have been ineffective thus far in eliminating sexual assault. In accordance with this, I will present findings that show how sexual assault can be properly prevented on a cultural, and an inter-personal scope.